D&D 4E 4E PHB II & DMG II 1 year after release (and a new one every year after that)

[Mouseferatu]

Maybe, but the barbarian-becoming-a-frenzied-berserker was the specific example used to explain how prestige classes won't cause you to leave your current class in Fourth Edition.

If they meant "a fighter with barbarian talents taking frenzied berserker talents doesn't change her class", well, cool, but I'm not certain that's what they did mean.

Yep, I heard that, too. I suppose it's possible they were just pulling class names out of the air for examples, and the barbarian isn't actually in 4E (or at least not in PHB1), but I, too, got the impression it would be there.

 

[Mokona]

How do all those hardcover copies of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings get sold?

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my jest . A book 100% about actual hobbits will sell because everyone (myself included) loves JRR Tolkien. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are not, of course, 100% about hobbits what with all the elves and men helping out.

Plainly speaking what I meant was that few will buy a book dedicated only to miniature gypsies (which is how D&D halflings appear ). Thus, Wizards never released a race book focusing on the topic of halflings. Instead they married halfling content to the much more financially successful Elf Book.

 

[Gentlegamer]

I "got ya" Mokana, that's why I used a non-serious icon in my response.

My favorite of the old Known World gazatteers was The Five Shires. One of my favorite 2nd edition splat books was the one covering halflings and gnomes. Part of my homebrew world is set aside for a "little people" campaign featuring Uldra (arctic terrain dwelling gnome like folks that wear conical hats from an old Dragon magazine). So obviously, I like the wee folk, but I heartily recognize my interest is not "mainstream" within the D&D hobby community.


The Lord of the Rings is not a trilogy, though. [/nitpick]

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Originally it was TSR UK's monster book, with some monsters that were from modules (drow, for example).

Yes, I know. Hence "just another monster book."

Maybe they could keep that sort of vibe and make the Fiend Foilo either a collection of fan created monsters

Given the utter stupidity of the "Baker" project, I sure hope not.

or a best of "d20" monsters.

The monsters in the Years Best D20 make that slim volume one of the best monster books ever. I think this is a solid idea.

 

[Maggan]

Given the utter stupidity of the "Baker" project, I sure hope not.

The "Baker" project?

/M

 

[Glyfair]

The "Baker" project?

Eberron.

"Utter stupidity" means he doesn't like it, in internet-speak.

 

[Baby Samurai]

I am totally pro this model, but it does sound a tad Magic: the Gathering – new PHB, MM, and DMG every year and a new campaign setting to maybe showcase some of the new goodies.

 

[Aloïsius]

Barbarian certainly isn't arcane, and it's implausible as a divine, too. If it's around (I'd make it a fighter talent tree), and we're following a strict 3x4 one-per-role, it can only be the martial controller. Really sort of depends on what a controller does, I guess.

IMHO, a controler is someone able to influence a lot of ennemy. Wizards can fireball a few dozen orcs at once. Druids can entangle them. Barbarians ? A raging barbarian may have some kind of frightful presence, allowing them to quickly dispatch frightened adversaries.
Moreso, I always envisioned barbarians as beeing not only powerful and frightening, but also very quick. With superior speed and maybe ability to hit more opponent per rounds ("velocity rage"), they can somewhat control the battelfield. Last, they can have some "throw away blow" allowing them to push ennemy a few feet away when they strike.

But I can't imagine them beeing loaded with so numerous special ability, and thus I don't see them able to rivals with wizards in term of "control". Thus, my guess is that they will be either tanks or more probably strikers.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Eberron.

"Utter stupidity" means he doesn't like it, in internet-speak.

. . . no.

The "You Craft The Creature" project produced a creature which was code-named "Baker" - like all of the other monsters in development around the same time.

It ended up weird - an aberration which uses fey minions - but it was cut from Monster Manual V anyway!

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Moreso, I always envisioned barbarians as beeing not only powerful and frightening, but also very quick.

Yes, that's true, but the striker - as you went on to mention - has the "move around and hit hard" schtick sewn up.

I'm leaning more and more towards the belief that it won't be a neat 3 x 4 grid, and that the rogue, ranger, and barbarian will all be strikers.